Trine PS3 Priced at Half of Retail PC Version (Update)

Update: SouthPeak, which is publishing Trine PC in North America later this summer, just let us know that the North American release of Trine PC will carry a suggested retail price of $30 in lieu of the $40 price point set by international publisher Nobilis.

Original: The PlayStation 3 edition of Frozenbyte's downloadable platformer Trine will sell for $20, half the "official" international price of the PC version, publisher Nobilis has confirmed to Shacknews.

While the Nobilis-set "official price point" for Trine PC is $40, a price that several digital distribution outlets and European retailers currently list, digital distribution provider Steam is currently offering pre-orders of the game for $30. However, the Steam product page indicates that independent developer Frozenbyte is self-publishing on the service.
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Though publisher Nobilis has yet to explain the substantial divide between the pricing of the PC and PlayStation 3 editions--a difference the development studio was apparently unaware of--Frozenbyte has already been defending the higher-than-expected PC price.

Noting that "[pricing] guidelines are set by our publisher," developer FB_Lauri took to the company's official forum to explain that "Trine is far from a game created by a solo hero developer (we have over 20 employees and Trine has contributions from a double amount of people)" and "we are very confident that we can deliver a full retail experience with Trine (hence PC version is sold in retail also for approx 35 to 40 eur/usd!)."

"As for the PSN price, our publisher and Sony sets it," Lauri wrote in a subsequent post, later adding "heck, even I don't know it."

"I just don't find it fair to compare [our price] to games which have started at similar or higher pricepoints [but are now cheaper]," Lauri concluded. "It's very obvious Trine will eventually cost less, so I guess I just wanted to say that if the price hurts more than waiting, then that's the option."

Added fb_joel: "There are many factors that go into pricing (and the same applies to other business things like platforms and release dates). It might be easier for games that have been developed by one-man teams ('just' find the sweet spot that gives maximum revenue, usually that is a price that gamers are happy with) - but when the game is bigger and there's retail and other partners involved (from the beginning), it's not that simple."

Trine PC is slated to arrive via digital distribution and European retail on July 3, with Frozenbyte cautioning "if that fails, 10th of July." The PlayStation Network edition does not yet have a firm release date, though the studio hopes it will be no later than July 9.

The boxed retail edition of Trine PC will arrive in North America later this summer via publisher SouthPeak, with Atlus planning a later downloadable Xbox 360 version.

The Xbox Live Arcade release is said to sport online cooperative play, with FB_Lauri noting that "it just wasn't possible to do" in the initial PC and PlayStation 3 editions, though it could be added later depending on sales performance and other factors.

Update 2: Frozenbyte has disputed reports that an Xbox Live Arcade release of Trine will include online co-op, with fb_joel writing that "the XBLA version and its features is just speculation at this point."